


You Believe in You and I

by edgarallanrose



Series: Check, Please! Prompt Fills [9]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Year 2 (Check Please!)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20032105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgarallanrose/pseuds/edgarallanrose
Summary: “You seem like you’re doing just fine anyway,” she said, nodding her head towards Bitty. “I’m so glad you’re finally letting yourself open up a bit more, he’ll be good for you. And,” she winked, “he is super cute. Great butt.”Jack stuttered, looking back over at Bitty, who gave him a concerned smile and wave. Did Camilla think…? Oh no. But how was he supposed to correct her now? She had already moved on from their relationship and fully embraced her bisexual tendencies. Jack could have done the same. If he had wanted to, that was. Nothing was stopping him, really. And if she already believed it...“He is cute.” Jack said.





	You Believe in You and I

**Author's Note:**

> leahlisabeth asked: Hey, can you do number 10 of the reasons why we're fake dating with zimbits? I'm so excited you're taking prompts again!
> 
> From this [prompts list:](https://edgarallanrose.tumblr.com/post/186446527801/edgarallanrose-veronicabunchwrites-i-dont#notes) 10\. my ex just showed up with their new partner and I don’t want them to win this breakup
> 
> Unbeta'd, and yes, this title is from the theme song to Big Little Lies ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“Bitty!” Jack shouted across the quad. “Hey, Bittle!” 

Bitty kept walking, head down staring at his phone. Jack noticed Bitty had his earbuds in, tucked under the winter toque that covered his ears. So Jack started waving his arms like a loon until Bitty noticed him. 

“Jack?” Bitty removed an earbud with a laugh. “What on earth are you doing?”

Jack jogged across the quad, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and breath puffing out in front of him in little clouds. 

“You headed to Annie’s?”

“I was thinking about it.”

“It looked like you were you tweeting about it.”

“Oh, it is too early for this chirping, Mr. Zimmermann.” 

Bitty fell into step beside him, removing his headphones and placing them in the outside pocket of his satchel. 

“Let me get you a coffee?” Jack asked. 

“You don’t have to buy me anything, but I will join you for coffee.”

“I think I’m good for it, Bittle.”

“That’s not the point, Jack,” Bitty said with a sigh and fond eye roll. His cheeks were pink from the cold, blond hair sticking out the front of his hat. Jack felt a weird urge to reach out and take his hand. 

“I want to buy you coffee.”

“You know, I really don’t need to be bribed to spend time with you.”

And that, Jack thought, was an interesting observation. Is that what he was doing? Looking for excuses to spend more time with Bittle? He was graduating in a few short months. It wasn’t strange that he’d want to spend more time with his friends, was it?

—- 

The line for Annie’s was absurd, as always, with half the student body waiting for their morning caffeine fix. Jack was listening to Bitty go on about some album he had been listening to when Bitty glanced towards the door and interrupted himself.

“Look, your girlfriend is here.”

Jack turned and saw Camilla Collins enter the coffee shop with another girl he recognized from the tennis team. They hadn’t noticed him yet, they were laughing about something and stamping their feet on the entryway mat. 

“Camilla and I aren’t together anymore.”

“Oh.” Bitty flushed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jack shrugged. “We split up over winter break, it just wasn’t working for either of us anymore.”

“Over break?”

“Yeah?”

“Jack, that was over a month ago.”

“Right.”

“Why am I just hearing about this now?”

Jack shrugged again as they shuffled forward in line. The honest answer was it had never come up. Camilla and him were both headstrong, competitive people. They challenged each other, and sometimes that worked, and sometimes it created more conflict than either of them were willing to work through. Then with their sports schedules they couldn’t see each other as often, they were both busy graduating, and things slowly fell apart from there. They had parted amicably, but hadn’t really spoken since.

Jack managed to get to the counter and put in their order (he had Bitty’s memorized to ensure Bitty didn’t try to offer to pay again) before being spotted. 

“Jack!” Camilla said, waving them over.

Bitty gave Jack a nudge and Jack in turn shot Bitty a look that he hoped communicated ‘please don’t make me go over there by myself.’ Bitty took him by the elbow and walked over with him.

“Hey, Camilla,” Jack said, not sure whether he should lean in to hug her or not. Camilla made no indication either way. Her teammate was giving him the stink eye. “How are you?”

“I’m good, how are you? Spring semester going well?”

“Yeah, pretty well. Cold out there, eh?”

Bitty raised his eyebrows in an expression that seemed to say, _ The weather, Jack? Really? _

“It is, yeah,” Camilla agreed, with a small smile. 

“You remember Bittle, right?” Jack said. Only Bitty’s southern graces could save him now. “From the team?”

“Sure I do, the speedy one!”

“That’s me,” Bitty laughed. “Good to see you again. Jack here was just insisting he buy me coffee because I was turning into a popsicle out there. Lord knows I will always be a southern boy at heart, I cannot get used to this weather. And of course I can never say no to Jack. You must know how he is.”

A change came over Camilla’s face, unreadable at first, and then she turned to Jack positively beaming. 

“Yes, he was always like that with me, too,” she said. “And Jack, you remember my teammate, Natasha?”

“Yeah, hi.”

“I’m gonna go up and order, babe,” Natasha said, kissing Camilla on the cheek. “I’ll let you chat.”

Camilla gave Jack a meaningful look, and Jack had absolutely no idea what expression he was currently making.

“Oh!” Bitty said, looking back and forth between Camilla and Jack. “Um, our order is probably almost ready. I’ll go wait by the counter.”

And then it was just Camilla and Jack, huddled together by the sugar packets in the crowded coffee shop.

“How long has that been going on?” Jack asked.

“Since after we broke up, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“No, that wasn’t -- sorry, I didn’t mean to imply --”

“Relax, Jack,” she laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked over at Natasha. Jack was fairly sure she had never looked at him that way. “It was all kind of sudden. I had always thought...well I was always curious, I guess, if that’s the right word for it. And one night she kissed me, and I knew.”

“I’m really happy for you,” Jack said. “Honestly, that’s great.”

“You seem like you’re doing just fine anyway,” she said, nodding her head towards Bitty. “I’m so glad you’re finally letting yourself open up a bit more, he’ll be good for you. And,” she winked, “he is _ super _ cute. Great butt.”

Jack stuttered, looking back over at Bitty, who gave him a concerned smile and wave. Did Camilla think…? Oh no. But how was he supposed to correct her now? She had already moved on from their relationship and fully embraced her bisexual tendencies. Jack could have done the same. If he had wanted to, that was. Nothing was stopping him, really. And if she already believed it...

“He is cute.” Jack said. Not a confirmation, but also not a lie.

“We should go out together sometime.”

Camilla was still smiling sweetly, but had crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes. She was issuing a challenge. 

“Yeah,” Jack blurted out before he could help himself, “we should.”

“Good.” Natasha returned at that moment, putting a hot cup of coffee in Camilla’s hand before wrapping an arm possessively around her waist. “I’ll text you, okay?”

“Sure. Okay.”

Bitty came back to join Jack after Camilla and Natasha left. 

“I know you want a sip of my latte first, so you may as well do that now before I hand you your boring black coffee.”

“Thanks, Bittle.” They left the shop together, walking in the general direction of campus. Bitty’s coffee was milky and sweet, with a hint of spice. A sip of whatever Bittle ordered was always the most Jack ever indulged, and he would never admit to wanting his coffee to only be like that forever.

“So,” Bitty said, trading their drinks back, “was that conversation as awkward as it looked?”

_ Alright, out with it Jack. _

“Um. Camilla thought we were dating.”

“She what?” Bitty let out a small hysterical laugh. “Well now, what would have given her that idea?”

“I may or may not have let her believe it.”

Bitty stopped in his tracks. 

“What are you talking about, Jack?”

“I just. Well, she assumed. And I didn’t correct her.”

Bitty was visibly freaking out, eyes wide and clutching his coffee with both hands.

“What the hell, Jack?”

“I mean, she’s already moved on! And she has a girlfriend now. I didn’t want her to think that I couldn’t do that, too.”

“You wanted to, what, _ win _ your break up?” Bitty started to storm past him on the sidewalk. “This is ridiculous, Jack. _ You _ are ridiculous.”

“Bitty, I’m sorry. Hey.” Jack caught Bitty by the arm. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I can tell her the truth.”

Bitty pinched the bridge of his nose. “What exactly did you tell her?”

“I told her I thought you were cute,” Jack said, then felt the need to quickly add, “which is the truth! You are cute. And I think that. About you.”

Bitty blinked slowly. “Alright. Then what?”

“She said we should go on a double date and I said okay.”

“Okay? Good gracious lord almighty. Jack!”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Just, let me think. One second.”

Jack stood silently, taking sips of his coffee even though it was burning his tongue as he watched Bitty pace across the sidewalk. 

“I mean, it’s not like you actually see Camilla around campus that often, right?”

“Right,” Jack agreed, not sure what Bitty was getting at.

“Say we go on this double date. Let her believe it a little longer.”

Jack sucked in a breath. “You would do that?”

“If it means that much to you, sure.” Bitty gave him a sad smile. “You’re my friend, Jack.”

Jack didn’t necessarily like the way Bitty said ‘friend,’ but wasn’t in a state to parse out why.

“Okay then. Okay. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, really,” Bitty muttered. 

They resumed their walk across the quad, past the lake. More students had appeared in the meanwhile, sleepily stumbling to their first class of the day. Jack glanced down at Bitty, who was actively shivering, though whether it was from the cold or from nerves Jack couldn’t tell. Either way, he put an arm around his shoulders and held him tight. Bitty huffed a little laugh.

“We’ll have to put a plan together soon, lover. Get our story straight.”

“That’s probably not a bad idea.”

“And for the record,” Bitty continued, barely audible, “I think you’re cute, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> You can reblog this ficlet on tumblr right over [here.](https://edgarallanrose.tumblr.com/post/186475930680/hey-can-you-do-number-10-of-the-reasons-why-were) Follow and/or subscribe to keep up with my writing and see the next time I'm accepting prompts, or just come say hi to me!


End file.
